Steve Palmer's Players Championship predictions & free golf betting tips plus bet £10 and get a £30 free bet with Kwiff

When to bet on the Players Championship

By 11.40am on Thursday

It's also worth noting that Kwiff are offering a £30 free bet when new customers bet £10 on golf 

Where can I watch the Players Championship

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 11.30am on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Players Championship predictions

Max Homa
4pts each-way 28-1 Betfair, Power

Scottie Scheffler
4pts each-way 11-2 general

Min Woo Lee
1pt each-way 50-1 general

Si Woo Kim
1pt each-way 50-1 BoyleSports

New customers can get a £30 free bet when they bet on the Players Championship with Kwiff

Steve Palmer's Players Championship preview

Scottie Scheffler's dramatically improved putting performance in the Arnold Palmer Invitational has set the golfing world abuzz – a 15-under-par total for a five-shot success at Bay Hill left his rivals in awe – and the Players Championship spotlight this week will fall upon his broad shoulders.

Scheffler defeated Rory McIlroy by 14 shots last week and the Northern Irishman's iron-play has been alarmingly bad with the Masters looming large so it is no surprise that there is such a large gap between the world's top two players in the Sawgrass betting.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Max Homa 28-1

Candidates to challenge a galvanised Scottie Scheffler this week are difficult to find, but Max Homa stands out like a beacon. He is a fearless competitor carrying the form and confidence to throw down the gauntlet to the world number one.

Homa has found his A-game again. The Californian had a disappointing West Coast Swing and despite his high expectations for those events, he lost his form at a bad time. His last seven rounds, though, have been greatly encouraging, indicating a bold bid for Sawgrass glory is forthcoming.

Homa closed with rounds of 65, 70 and 69 for 16th place in the Genesis Invitational, took some time off, then returned with rounds of 71, 69, 71 and 73 for eighth place at Bay Hill. That 73 on Sunday was magnificent considering he was three over par through two holes and Homa's fightback has got his tail up for the Players Championship.

The 33-year-old, who used to live in Florida, loves Sawgrass. His debut came in the ill-fated 2020 edition, where he carded a 70 before the tournament was abandoned, then in 2022 he performed heroics, overcoming a huge draw bias to finish 13th, closing with a 66. He was world number 36 going into that event, but has gone on to establish himself as a member of the elite.

Homa delivered an eight-under-par weekend at Sawgrass last year to finish sixth and an even better result can be fancied this week.

Next best bet

Scottie Scheffler 11-2

With each-way terms of a fifth the odds, the first eight places, generally available for the Players, an each-way investment in Scottie Scheffler at 5-1 or bigger looks great value. This is arguably the weakest Players Championship in history, with 17 of the last 30 Major winners missing.

With the LIV defectors such as Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith replaced by the likes of Zac Blair and David Skinns, Scheffler's class edge over this field seems greater than the odds indicate. It is so difficult to imagine a scenario where Scheffler finishes outside the top ten.

Scheffler won by five at Bay Hill on Sunday – the same margin by which he triumphed at Sawgrass 12 months ago. The Players victory came even though he finished 48th in the putting statistics. Last week, having switched to a mallet-headed putter for the first time, the world's premier ball-striker was superb on the greens, topping the putting stats on Sunday, so there seems every chance he has turned a significant corner.

Scheffler carded a 68 on his Sawgrass debut in 2020, lying seventh before the event was abandoned, and his 55th place in 2022 came from the wrong side of the draw. He loves Sawgrass as much as he loves Bay Hill and more Sunshine State success could be coming on Sunday.

Other selections

Min Woo Lee 50-1
Si Woo Kim 50-1

Scheffler's playing partner in the final twoball of last year's Sawgrass shootout was Min Woo Lee. History may well repeat itself on Sunday. Lee finished runner-up in the Cognizant Classic the week before last, underlining a liking for tough Florida layouts. Big things can be expected from this rising star at the venue where he finished sixth on his debut 12 months ago.

Si Woo Kim, the 2017 Sawgrass champion, is also worthy of support. The youngest winner in Players history – he was just 21 at the time – has been producing rock-solid golf this season. The South Korean has finished in the top 50 in every event he has played, posting four top-25s, finishing 14th at Pebble Beach and 12th in Phoenix.

The 28-year-old was thrilled to win a gold medal at the Asian Games last October which meant he could skip national service for his country, and he has always relished Sawgrass. Kim was 23rd on his debut in 2016 and in the 2020 event he was second, having carded a 65, before the abandonment. He was ninth in 2021, on the wrong side of the draw in 2022, and 27th last year.

Course guide for the Players Championship

• Course Stadium Course, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
• Prize money $25m ($4.5m to the winner)
• Length 7,275 yards
• Par 72 – four par-fives; ten par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 144 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Rory McIlroy (2), Jon Rahm (3), Viktor Hovland (4), Wyndham Clark (5)
• Course records - 72 holes 264 Greg Norman (2004) 18 holes 62 Tom Hoge (2023)
• Course winners taking part Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Si Woo Kim, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler
• When to bet By 11.40am on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 11.30am on Thursday
• Time difference Florida is four hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Last week – Arnold Palmer Invitational 1 S Scheffler (13-2), 2 W Clark (50-1), 3 S Lowry (66-1), T4 R Henley (60-1), W Zalatoris (30-1), T6 S Theegala (50-1), B Todd (200-1), T8 B H An (45-1), A Putnam (200-1), E Grillo (100-1), M Homa (25-1); Puerto Rico Open 1 B Garnett (150-1), 2 E Barnes (100-1), T3 V Perez (35-1), H Springer (80-1), J Stanger (66-1), T6 A Dumont de Chassart (150-1), J Highsmith (90-1), B Kohles (80-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview Pete Dye design, which has hosted since 1982. The island-green 17th is arguably the most famous hole in golf. The switch in 2019 from a May date to a March one meant for lusher conditions, so the ball does not roll to the same extent. Longer clubs are required on approach, but the small, contoured greens are more receptive. The 2020 event was cancelled after one round due to Covid
• Story of last year Scottie Scheffler turned the event into a procession, cruising to a five-shot victory, with Tyrrell Hatton a remote runner-up
• Weather forecast Sunny, warm and relatively calm, with wind speed increasing slightly each day, peaking with a moderate breeze on Sunday
• Type of player suited to the challenge Plodders traditionally succeeded at this venue in May, but the switch to March effectively lengthened the track and played into the hands of big hitters
• Key attribute Power

Steve Palmer's Players Championship key stat

The last 12 Sawgrass champions finished in the top 35 in their preceding tournament

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Kwiff golf Players Championship betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

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